XXL's Top 10 Freshman Issue (Covers)

blame it on ShakeOctober 20, 2008

We've been posting freestyles from each of the artists so it shouldn't be a mystery as to who made the cover(s). However, eskay just threw them up and they are pretty dope. Hit the jump for some larger versions. UPDATE: Added some footage of the photo shoot courtesy of BoBo.

and where is XV? hmmmm… I guess XXL is running with dudes who got that label money behind them.
THE TRUTH HURTS said this on October 20, 2008 at 12:31 pm
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Exactly...where the %$^# is XV...he better then half of them without a dought...smfh @ XXL....

you can't be mad at XXL for this. seriously. this list is 10x better then it would've been done last year or on any other pub. D is doing his thing to shed light on the up and coming (aside the ace hood mention).

but WHY cory gunz? the nigga been out since the ruff ryders vol. 2 or some shit hasnt he? lol

atl

LOL damn ruff ryders.

yea drake would have been dope to see.

eightysbaby

I seriously have never heard an ACE Hood Song in my adult life. And yea Corey Gunz? with that album droppin Neverary 35th/ Riiiiight.

Mark Twain Fame

Yeah Vizzy should been in that ish...def could done without Ace Hood all he's got is the DJ Durka Durka co-sign...which is nothing much either...but hey whatever, everybody else looks good on this.

would been dope to see maybe Add-2 or Oddisee on it too...but yeah they did better than last time.

Showman3000

I agree about Ace Hood = shouldn't be there.
Oh yeh and maybe even Drake should've made the XXL cover but maybe cause he's from Canada. I dont know I'm guessing.
Asher Roth is cool. But Asher Roth? Not the cover though.
Come on! No disrespect but would he be hot if he wasn't white?
If he was black with the same flow, delivery, "kiddin around" and messages some people would say he's trying too hard or is wak. Asher's cool but not as prolific as people describe him.

Anytime a black rapper goes in that dimension or takes that approach we clown 'em. When it's a white dude we call him creative. However, make no mistake I rocks Asher Roth stuff but I'm not amazed like most are.

Showman3000, I think that statement was craaaazy. Especially considering there is a cat who spits kinda like Roth, jokes around , says outrageous things...and he's next to Roth on the cover (CH AR, spittin like a AR)...think first, it really has nothin to do with race, he's a beast.

I think its dope as fuck to see this years covers compared to previous years because u really see the impact the net is having with the game...just about everyone on there benefitted from the net (w/ exception of ace hood of course...uggh!)

wzup wit the lack of any other west coast artists tho?

Blu deserves it, but they couldnt get any of the other homies too like pac div or U-N-I?

...also everyone should keep in mind that all the artists on the covers are major label acts except Blu and Mickey, and they should be on a major soon enuff, but the majors still control the print media ish...some of the same reasons ace hood is on there is the same as the rest of the acts on there...major label connections...imo...

JT

I don't know enough about this shit, mind giving a rundown of these artists' labels?
Other than Cudi at GOOD I don't know shit

lgwtheprince
Well my statement was based on what I hear and see. Kinda like it's amazing when a white got crazy hops. When we all see it everyday in the hood. That's all I'm saying. Because 1st of I listen to Roth's music and I like it. However, calling a "Beast" or the "Futere" (like other people do) is an extreme exagaration to me. I respect you guys opinion but I don't see the intense skill level. I see skills and his wittyness is hot but not that powerful.

I just know in general that people get amazed when a whiteboy can rap and actually rap good. Hoestly it's not really a knock on him it's knock more on people's views. I just don't see a regular dude from the hood who is spanish or black getting the same high great complements and comparison that he's getting for the fact it's rear to see a whiteboy get busy.

lgwtheprince I hear where you're coming from.
THIS PART OF MY MSSG IS MORE RELATED TO OTHER PEOPLE WHO ON THIS BLOG WHO COMMENTED ON 'PEOPLE HATING ON HIM (Asher Roth) CAUSE OF RACE':
I'm not saying that cause I'm racist or anything of the sort. I have white friends, white best friends from middle school, I have the same for black friends. I dated white women and still fucks with white, black or whatver pretty chick w/ a phatty I can find.

Again I like Asher Roth. I listen to his music so obviously I don't disslike him or hate him. I just have my opinion on him in this matter just like anybody who has a different opinion than mine. Because my opinion doesn't match yours and we disagree on our perceptions of music and him (Asher Roth) doesn't mean I'm a hater or you're a dick rider for liking him that much. It's just being real. I respect that some of you like him that much that you think he deserves to be on the cover just like I respect the ones who don't think he deserves to be on it.

3xDope

Its good to c Blu on the cover..
YES to REAL music.

malakidagod

WTF ACE HOOD? HAHA WHO CARES ABOUT HIS ASS? WERE IS COOL KIDS & DRAKE???

Drake (Better then MORE then half of the ppl on the cover), The Cool Kids (OFF BUZZ ALONE!) come man Ace Hood?

F2Dlife.blogspot.com

hopps83

Drake, Lessondary Crew, jay Elec, Stimuli

chase money

cory gunz n asher the only two on there who are semi-ok, they aren't even all that...how bout joell ortiz, crooked i, bishop lamont, joe budden...sure they ain't "freshmen" in every sense of the word...but these dudes are the truth compared to these jokers you got on the xxl cover

victo’r

Asher Roth... Should not be on the cover
Ace Hood... Should not be on the cover
Cory Gunz... Should not be on the cover

I mean you gotta have a dude like ace hood if you wanna sell a couple extra magazines and besides that labels want there artists to get as much exposure as possible with the outlet of rap city being taken away they will push for other avenues even more now so that being said he is a freshman maybe not a good one but a freshman none the less

Lol at Tiron. but dudes is hatin sayin that blu is behind a major label? cmon now if you know who blu is then you would know he aint behind no big label bruh. BLU and MICKEY got is locked with this cover no doubt. It would of been dope to see some PAC DIV on there though. but ACE HOOD & KID CUDI and some other heads on there shouldnt be on there. point blank. yo tiron whats good with a new mixtape. i know the last mixtape pretty much word from word and how the beats are and etc.

Arvyj

crooked I was on last year, they wont put him back on...

realest

how about anyone who doesn't have an album shouldn't be on the cover...

ever since curren$y left YM he has been puttin out real shit.. not that bull shit drug rap like wayne.. the past 7 months since independance day, he has been on.. even though hes been around for a while people are still laggin on his tapes.. dudes got the tightest laidback flow..

jTN15

haha ace hood has prolly never heard of the people he took the shoot with. I can picture him tryin to figure out the name n shit haha

Antone

Nice. Can't wait to see which one I get in the mail...

charlito

Ace Hood shoulda never made the cover. Drake should be there point blank!!! smh...

Showman3000

At least most of you agree that Ace Hood shouldn't be on there and either Drake or XV should be on there hands down. They really missed it w/ Ace Hood and not XV or Drake. They really did.

P.S.A

Blu and B.o.B >>>>>>>>>

maybe Cory and Charles too...if they can craft decent songs and not just spit bar after bar after bar.....Charles doing this more so than Cory though.

shit gets tiresome after awhile......if bars is all that comes out of them.

djtroubado

I read yall comments but its not fair to count out Ace Hood, how can yall not like his verse in the intro of dj khaled album, or that cashflow track, or even that gutta track...dude got a sick ass delivery dont sleep on him. maybe not the best lyrically but his delivery is way above average. Nice ass cover definitely gonna cop this xxl issue!

who the hell is these cats. don't nobody know these dudes! AND WHERE THE FUCK IS DRAKE!!!!! FROM TORONTO CN!!! YALL DONE PUT THESE WACK ASS NIGGAS ON HERE. YALL SLEEPIN' ON DRAKE. ALL THAT NIGGAS MIXTAPES> HE GOES HARD! XXL YALL NEED TO STEP YALL SELECTIONS UP. PICK BETTER NEW RAPPERS.

JINWOO

fUCK WHAT ALL YALL TALKING ABOUT THE BOY JET PHYNX SHOULD OF BEEN ON THERE. ALL OF THESE ONE A BEZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ BITTING HIS SWAG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JET PHYNX WOULD OF BEEN OUT, IF LUPE DIDNT TAKE IS LANE AND THAT REAL RAP FOR THE ONEZ THAT DONT KNOW!!!!SUCK A DICK XXL
JET PHYNX IS GONA MAKE ALL YALL REGRET FOR LEAVING THE REAL MC FLY OUT!!!!!!!!!!! MYSPACE.COM/JETPHYNX MATTER OF FACT GOOGLE HIS NAME AND YOULL SEE

iOH-inthe building

Cover is great, great to see these artists get shine, and Two ohio artists as freshman (Kid Cudi and yes! Charles Hamilton) on the cover thats dope! Big ups XXL! and good luck to all the artists on the cover!

Just as a fan I would have liked to see Donny Goines up there somewhere. HE EVERYWHERE, thats undeniable.

why isnt anyone saying anything about currency on the cover, him corey and ace arent really bringing anything new like these other cats

Visually Addictive Kidd

Well... I bought the issue and The Cool Kids, U-N-I and the Knux are in the issue. the cover is solely for the purpose of individual artists. ALL are hot... except ACE fuckin Hood. Now that's hot garbage.

Crack

Asher Roth is so fuckin gay. fuck him

Dan

TYGA!

TRAY

F**K EVERYONE WHO IS HATIN ON ACE HOOD.......ACE HOOD IS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

drake should've taken ace hood's place... he's better then most of the people there... and where's the cool kids, and skyzoo???

me

wale ash roth b.o.b charles hamilton

the saviors of hiphop have come

Glenn West

I bet XXL feels hella stupid for sleepin on DRAKE!!!!!!!!
So Far Gone is mixtape of the year!!!
Drake, The Cool Kids, Kid Cudi, B.o.B, and Wale are the only ones who should/shoulda been on the cover!!!
Everybody should be out of the discussion

Some of the dudes on here are pretty sick startin with B.o.B. But yo...wheres Wiz Khalifa at? Drake shoulda also been on the cover too for sure.

kenny

wheres nipsey hussle??

Alex

Drake should've been on there but he's way too overrated and they need J. Cole Roc nations first signed, Wiz Khalifa shouldve been on there, Asher is kind of wack but whatever, big sean is another guy from G.O.O.D., and Skyzoo, Blu's the best i'm glad he got on.

NOV18

LOL charles hamilton Lololololololololol

Mr Spacely

where da fuck is my man khalifa and drizzy shouldve been on the cover as well but im glad to see hamilton curren$y and cudi on there

First off, fuck everyone that has a problem with Asher Roth. A lot of you dislike his simply because he is white. If you look past that, he is an outstanding lyricist with a flow to match so leave your hate at the door. And ACE hood is a joke he should have never made it on the cover. Drake is one of the greatest in my book, he should have made the cover over ace hood, currensy, and any day of the week.